War Plan
by Blodigealach
Summary: Nasch had learned the hard way that he shouldn't go to a war without a plan. This time, he carefully prepared one, although not everything went as planned. WARNING: SPOILER ALERT for Episode 126 and Character Death. Hellshark/Disqualifyshipping/IVRyo (whatever you call it). Also Nasch/Iris and IV/Iris if you squint real hard.


**Author's Note:**

Something that I just can't get out of my mind, so I decided to write it down. Character's death, spoiler from Episode 118 and up. Took place somewhere before Ep 124, along the war, and post-war. Anyway, I only write angst, so be prepared. Around 4778 words long (according to my word processor).

* * *

Don't ever go to a war without making any plan.

Nasch learned about it the hard way, but then he understood at least that much. He was going to lead yet another war, and this time he wasn't going to do it recklessly. His time was short to create a perfect plan. Still, within that short time, he had prepared something—something that he only told his men but not the other Seven Barian Lords.

"Your Majesty King!" chirped a green-haired girl. Nasch turned away from the cliff to find Iris running towards him. His sight softened right away. He squatted and hauled the little girl in his arms, letting her to lean and circle her arms around his neck.

"Has everything been ready?" asked Nasch softly. Iris nodded enthusiastically, and Nasch felt the rush of relieve. He still felt somewhat guilty for letting her being involved with the whole war thing, but she's one of a few people he could really trust, especially with the plan he had prepared.

"Thank you, my dear," said Nasch again as he pressed his muzzle to the top of her head, earning a hearty giggle from the girl. "Now go back with the other, and stay hidden especially from the people I told you before."

"Even from Lady Merag and Lord Durbe?" asked Iris.

"Even from Lady Merag and Lord Durbe," confirmed Nasch. Iris nodded again, and Nasch squatted down again to let her go. But before she took off, he stopped her for one last question.

"Iris," he called, "aren't you afraid of what I've become?"

The little girl stopped and observed him for a while—of his pointy hair and weird-shaped circlet and his bicolored eyes and mouthless face and his purple skin and the red gems sticking out from various place. She then looked at him straight in the eyes and shook her head.

"Iris is aware that Your Majesty King's appearance is different now, but Your Majesty King is still the gentle Your Majesty King that Iris knows," she answered with a smile. Nasch could feel his heart clenched upon the words and he let out a long sigh.

"You really are a gentle one, aren't you, Iris? Go back now before the other Lords see you," replied Nasch, and once again Iris nodded and ran back to where she came from before and transformed into one of the floating red lights.

Nasch stood still until he regained the expression he had before—the face of the vengeful Barian Emperor. Only after he regained it he returned to where the other Lords were waiting.

-/-

When he first woke up, all he saw was red. It was glaring everywhere around him, as if the whole world's on fire. He could barely register anything and his whole body hurt as hell after that duel against—

IV sat up abruptly and his whole body protested in that instant. He cursed under his breath as he bent forward and rolled to his side. It certainly hurt, and he still couldn't register where he was or why he was there. Everything after his duel with Ryoga—_Nasch_, he corrected himself, _that bastard isn't Ryoga anymore_—was a total blur. He couldn't even remember if he won or lost. Given the current condition, though, he could conclude that he had lost.

After a while his body hurt less and he could think better. From what Nasch showed him, supposedly he was in the Barian World, being one of the human sacrifices to power up that world. He remembered seeing his comrades dissolved into specs of light and brought to the portal of the world. He didn't remember how it was in his case, but he thought it shouldn't be too much different—

—Except when he suddenly realized that he still had a body. He tried to sit up again, slowly this time, and observed whatever he could observe of his body. As far as he could see, he's still a human. At one side he was relieved because it meant that he's still alive and that he didn't turn into some Barian creature, but at another side he was confused and scared. What did those Barian want, capturing him as human?

He was still busy with his mind when suddenly he heard footsteps coming closer to where he was. IV then could recognize that he was inside something close to a crystal prison. There were crystal walls around him, in exception of one side that had something like vertical bars of crystals. Outside his cell he could only see a small alleyway and more crystal wall. From what he could hear, it sounded like he was the only prisoner there, and it made him even more alarmed.

The footsteps came even closer, and IV was squatting in defensive position furthest away from the bars. He wasn't sure if he could fight in his current condition, but at the very least he should be able to protect himself so that he wouldn't be hurt any further. His heartbeat raced faster as the footsteps came even closer, and finally revealed the owner of the sound.

When he first saw her, his eyes widened and the name "Rio" slipped out from his lips. But no, that girl wasn't Rio. She was way younger and her hair was green (how he's able to distinguish such color when everything around him radiated red light, it was beyond his comprehension). The girl looked harmless to him. She was holding something in her arms, covered with some sort of fabric.

"Ah, you're awake!" exclaimed that girl as she walked closer to IV. IV lowered his guard, but he was still glaring at her with suspicious look. The girl put down her stuffs once she was close enough, and removed the fabric to reveal a small bucket of water. She took a small piece of fabric from the top of the fabric pile and soaked it with some water. She then turned to IV and reached out her hand to him.

"Your arm, please?" she asked politely. IV scowled. Why would she ask for his arm? What was in that bucket? Sure, she seemed harmless, but it didn't mean that he could trust her at all. The little girl noticed the lack of action or trust in IV, and she smiled gently at him.

"Iris just want to treat your wound, is that okay?" she asked. _So her name is Iris_, he thought. He was still reluctant, but he reached out his left arm eventually. At least if that liquid was harmful or poisonous, he'd still have his good arm to fight.

She took his arm and unbuttoned the sleeve, then pulled the fabric away as gentle as she can. IV hissed when she accidentally brushed one of his bruises, and she'd jolt a little before continuing with gentler movement. After a while IV's forearm was completely exposed. He was bruised here and there, and there were sand and dirt as well. She then proceeded to wipe the dirt and sand from his arm, and gently cleaned up his bruises. IV sat still and did nothing but observed her carefully. It seemed that she really was harmless and she only meant well, so he finally let down of his guard completely.

"Iris, is it?" asked IV, and she nodded as she continued with her work. "What are you actually? Human? Barian?"

"Mm, Iris doesn't really understand about that. Iris used to have a family, but then there's a war, and His Majesty King took Iris in his care. But then His Majesty King went missing, and while Iris searched for him, Iris ended up here. His Majesty King was here too, but then he went missing again. Just recently Lord Durbe found His Majesty King again, but now they are going out for a war," she explained innocently.

IV scowled at the story. From that he could conclude that she was someone from Nasch's past life. That meant she was also a Barian, although her appearance was no different with normal human. Another thing was she's familiar with Nasch.

"Do you know Ryo—I mean, Nasch?" he asked just to make sure. She nodded enthusiastically and seemed to light up upon hearing that name.

"That's His Majesty King's name!" she chirped as she looked away from his arms and right into his eyes. It was obvious that she really liked Nasch, for whatever reason she had. IV clenched his jaw. How could someone still like someone—_something_ like Nasch? He was a despicable being. But then again, Iris was a Barian, and maybe Nasch could be a good person if it's to his fellow Barian.

"His Majesty King may look scary now, but His Majesty King is a gentle person, you know," added Iris as she pulled away from IV and soak her now dirty fabric in the water, washing it a little before moving to IV's right arm. IV let her cleaned it for him, and once again he fell into silence. A part of him wanted to tell her how cruel Nasch was, but another part of him screamed _she's just a little girl how could you say such thing to her_ and he chose to remain silent.

She's finished with IV's right arm a little faster since they didn't talk, and she washed the fabric again before resting it at the side of the bucket. "Alright, Iris is done here. Here are some clothes His Majesty King gave if you want to change. Iris will have to leave now," she said as she patted at the pile of fabric, and then stood up and got ready to leave the cell.

"Wait!" he exclaimed. Iris paused and looked at IV with a questioning look. "Am I the only one here?" he asked. That's all he needed to know at that time. Not what they'd do to him, not why he's still human; just a reassurance that he's not he only one. Iris looked troubled and she bit her lower lips as she scrunched her cloak.

"His Majesty King doesn't allow Iris to tell anyone about that," she answered. It was a vague answer, but there's a little hope that he wasn't really the only one there. "Is there anything else?" she asked.

IV paused for quite a while before he finally asked, "Will you come here again?"

She beamed and nodded. "Of course! His Majesty King told Iris to take care of you, after all!" she said. She then bid a farewell to him and left the cell.

Soon after he couldn't hear her footsteps anymore, he sighed and tried to stand. It didn't hurt so much anymore. He took the bucket and the change of clothes, starting to once again wondered what would happen to him next.

-/-

IV wasn't sure just how long he was kept in that cell. All that he knew that Iris kept her words to come visiting him regularly, with a bucket of water and change of clothes or some food to eat. After her first visit he realized that his bracelet and deck had been missing and he asked her where were they, and she told him that Nasch forbade her from telling him. Nasch also forbade her from telling him anything about the ongoing war, and she was loyal to that order.

Although Iris said Nasch forbade her to talk about the recent stuffs, she said he never said anything about telling him about the past stories. She would tell him about her family, and how war took them away, and how Nasch took her under his care. She would talk about how Nasch was being very gentle to her, despite his position as a King. Sometimes she'd talk about Durbe as well, but not too much, since Durbe seemed to disagree with Nasch bringing a little girl like her to the battlefield. IV would snort at that and told her that Durbe was just jealous of her, and she'd laugh and told him that "His Majesty King always looked and talked to Lord Durbe as if Lord Durbe is a part of His Majesty King's own self" and IV would feel that his heart stirred with slight jealousy upon the statement, but then he'd dismiss that feeling as soon as he felt it.

IV also told her about his own family, and of his Kamishiro Ryoga ("He looked just like Nasch," he told her, "only somewhat a different person."). He tried to avoid the subject of how Barian messed up with his family and simply used the same term with she used, that there was a war going on although it's different with the war she experienced. He would tell her about how he used to fight against Ryoga, and how he finally got over their hatred and fight alongside each other. But when she asked what happened to Ryoga, IV fell in silence.

"He died," he said flatly, with the void expression of a man who had gone through sufferings too heavy for him to handle alone. Iris stood up and circled her arms around IV's shoulders, and slowly patted his head. IV let her, as he tried his best not to cry. It was unsightly.

"His Majesty King always did this to Iris when Iris felt sad," she murmured as she continued to pat IV's head. IV could feel that his heart clenched again.

"Iris really likes His Majesty King, eh?" IV blurted out.

"Maybe as much as IV likes Ryoga?" replied Iris as she released him and sat by his side again. He gave her a painful smile, and she hugged his arm and leaned to him to make him felt better.

IV felt really sick of his own thoughts. He tried to tell himself that Ryoga was dead and what was left of him was the Barian Lord Nasch. But listening to Iris' stories, of how he was a gentle person all and all, he couldn't help himself but thinking that somewhere somehow Nasch was still Ryoga.

As he was once again drifted in his own mind, footsteps were heard, coming closer to his cell. He got alarmed instantly, since it was the first time he heard any footsteps that weren't Iris'. She let go of his arm and he went into a defensive stance. He didn't know if the unwelcomed guest would come after him or after Iris; one thing he knew for sure that he had to protect himself and her as well.

Finally, the owner of the sound showed up, and IV widened his eyes in shock. The cloaked figure stood in front of his cell and opened the bars, just enough for him to get in.

"Your Majesty King!" Iris chirped as she stood up and ran to him. Nasch immediately scooped her into his arms and she leaned to him lovingly. He pressed his muzzle on her cheek before he turned to IV, who was glaring at him.

"It's been a while, IV," he said in cold tone. IV clenched his fists in rage.

"You bastard, what happen to my brothers and the others?!" shouted IV. Iris jolted in Nasch's arms, surprised with the sudden hostility. Nasch remained calm, and he whispered something to Iris. She nodded, and he put her down. She quickly ran away from that place, and Nasch closed the bars behind him.

"They have been taken care of," Nasch answered as he walked closer to IV, who had also stood up and fully alarmed. He stopped a few steps away from the other boy and stood still, bicolored eyes staring right into the magenta.

"Are you going to kill me too?" asked IV. His voice was shaking in both anger and fear. He hated to admit it, but whatever it is, he's afraid to die. Nasch remained silent for some long minutes, and IV couldn't read anything beyond those cold and empty eyes.

"Not now," Nasch replied, "But you'll join your family and comrades soon."

IV clenched his fist and rushed towards Nasch with full force. Nasch dodged him easily, letting him fumbled and dropped on the crystal floor with a loud 'thud'. IV looked up to him, eyes still burned in fury. Meanwhile, Nasch's expression was still unwavering—cold and empty, and it sent chills to IV's whole being.

"IV, do you hate me?" asked Nasch with the same cold tone. Somewhat it only added more fuel to IV's anger.

"Yeah, I hate you! I want you to just go die already, you fucking heartless bastard!" spits IV. He hated the fact that he could do nothing, while outside that cell he didn't know just how many people had died in enemy's hand.

Nasch stared at him for a little while before turned around and walked out from the cell without saying another word. "OI!" shouted IV, "SAY SOMETHING; YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He ran towards the cell's bar and tried to look outside the cell.

Outside the cell, there was an army waiting. Nasch had picked Iris up on his arms again, making an odd scene outside that cell. He was the only one whose appearance was of a rock alien, while the others looked like normal human. That, and with an innocent being like Iris in his arms, he looked really out of picture.

He told them something, in a language IV couldn't understand. Iris looked at the purple-haired being with a concerned look, and he pressed his muzzle to her cheek again as he stroked her head gently. He then let her down again, and disappeared into a portal.

IV could only watch the whole scene with a confused look. It was amplified as he saw how tears soaked Iris' cheeks, and the sad looks on the soldiers' faces.

"Iris!" he called, and Iris looked up to him immediately. "Iris, what happened? Where is he going? What is he planning to do?" he asked anxiously. She wiped her tears with her sleeves and shook her head slowly.

"His Majesty King doesn't allow Iris to say anything," she replied weakly.

"IRIS!" he shouted as he shook the crystal bar.

"IRIS JUST WANT TO STAY WITH HIS MAJESTY KING FOREVER!" she shouted before he turned around and ran away from that place, with the soldiers backed away to give her some space to run. They also shot a pained look to IV before turning around and went away, into the darkness where IV couldn't look what was beyond that.

IV froze in his place, unable to comprehend whatever was happening right in front of his eyes. Only after a while he finally walked away from the bar and slumped to one of the crystal walls. He let out a long sigh, and then rolled to lie down on his side. He let the drowsiness took over his senses and drifted into the darkness. He felt awfully tired and he didn't even know why.

-/-

When IV woke up again in his cell, the bars that kept him locked inside were gone. He sat still for a very long time, before he cautiously walked outside his cell. There was no sign of anyone there beside himself, and he quickly took the chance to run away as fast as he could.

He took the only way available, running between the walls of crystal. He paced up along the time, running until his feet felt numb and his lungs almost gave up. After what he felt like eternity, he saw an exit, and immediately jumped out. When he's finally out, he saw how he was actually kept at the bottom of a tower, not far from a cliff heading towards something that seemed to be the ocean of the Barian World.

Slowly and carefully, he stepped further away, trying to find any sign of life aside of himself. After walking aimlessly for a while, he finally heard something. He walked as fast as his feet could bring him to the source of the voice. As he got closer, he recognized that voice as someone crying. And it's not just anyone; he recognized it as Iris' voice. He paced up as fast as he could, stumbling a little because of the uneven ground, and finally he found her. But what he saw right in front of his eyes wasn't the first thing he thought of when he first heard her crying.

Iris was sitting down on the ground, tears flooding her eyes, flowing to her cheeks and dripping from her chin. She held the purple arm adorned in gold and red gems tightly to her chest. The arm wasn't moving, and so was the red-cloaked figure. He was just lying there, looking beaten up and broken. Some of the gems on his body were cracked. The gold ornaments were scratched and cracked as well, and his robe was ripped in various places.

Instinctively, IV ran towards him, even when his legs were about to give up. "RYOGA!" The name blurted out just like that from his lips. He didn't care if that purple being was a Barian or that he didn't look like Ryoga at all or if it's _Nasch_ and not _Ryoga_, because his whole being screamed _that's Ryoga and he's dying_.

"Ryoga!" he shouted again as he kneeled down by his side. His voice was shaking and his vision started to blur and his chest hurt and _Ryoga is dying and he can't do anything to make him any better_.

It felt surreal. His appearance wasn't the Ryoga he knew. It was Nasch, Barian's Nasch; the one he wanted to just go and die already. But then seeing Nasch in that condition—lying down helplessly with no sign of waking up—hurt his heart as if there were millions shreds of glasses piercing it. He couldn't feel relieved about it. He couldn't feel happy about it. Instead he felt horrible for yelling like that to him before. Because the one lying down there wasn't just Nasch. Because somewhere at the back of his mind and the corner of his heart he knew that it's Ryoga as well as it's Nasch.

He brought his hand to touch Nasch's—Ryoga's, whatever—cheek. It felt strangely smooth and cold, and he didn't know if it's a good sign or not. Iris was still crying, and IV felt his eyes burning and before he realized it he was crying as well. What were his last words to him? It wasn't a nice thing. It wasn't even a proper goodbye. He cursed under his uneven breath. What was he thinking when he blurted out those hateful words? He didn't even know what his feelings were doing then.

Tears flowed on his cheeks and dripped on Nasch's cheeks. IV bent closer to him, letting his forehead touched the broken gem on Nasch's circlet. Suddenly the gem glowed weakly, and Nasch opened his eyes slowly. Seeing that, IV pulled away slowly. There were no pulse he could check, or the breathing he could listen to. But Nasch had opened his eyes, and his gems glowed even just slightly.

"You're safe," Nasch muttered weakly as his bicolored eyes fixed to the pair of magenta. IV couldn't trust his voice, so he just nodded in response.

"Your Majesty King!" cried Iris, and Nasch turned his gaze to the little girl. She was still holding his arm, although wasn't as tight as before.

"Iris, my dear, is everything went as planned?" he asked, still with the same weak voice that threatened to give up anytime. Iris nodded vigorously, tears still flooding her cheeks.

"Iris and the others did everything Your Majesty King told us to! Everything is fine! Iris swear!" she replied. Nasch sighed and slowly brought his hand to Iris' cheek, wiping the tears away with his thumb.

"I'm forever indebted with you, my dear Iris," he said softly, and Iris shook her head furiously. For her, Nasch is her savior. She was ready to serve him and follow him wherever he went.

Nasch then turned to IV again. The blond-and-red-haired boy had stopped crying, although his expression was still miserable. There were so many things Nasch wanted to tell him, but he knew that he didn't have the leisure to do so.

He didn't plan for this to happen anyway. In his plan, IV was supposed to be guided out to a certain place where the others—V, III, Gauche, Droite, Fuuya, Anna, Yamikawa, Tetsuo; just everyone that he 'kidnapped' to Barian World—were gathered and would be sent back to the Human World once the whole war was over. He knew that Vector and Don Thousand would be targeting Human World and Astral World, so the only safe place for them was in the Barian World.

Everything was prepared so that none of the other Barian Lords knew about the plan, because he didn't know how many of them would agree to what he did and how many would try to screw up with his plan. The tower where he kept all the humans was a tricky thing to build as well, but his men had worked hard for it. From the daily report he received, none of the humans got exposed to the Barian radiation. He was rest assured and continued with the whole duel without any worries. Each time a human was sent into the Barian World from the duel, his men would fetch them and kept them safe in the tower.

The other Lords sent the humans without knowing that they're actually helping Nasch's plan. While he kept the humans safe, he told the others that they died for the sake of Barian World. He needed to fuel their anger. He needed to make Yuma stronger. Yuma was the key to end the whole war, and he was prepared to make sacrifices. Even if that meant that he had to let go the people he treasured the most. Even if that meant that he'd lose what's most important to him. Even if that meant that he would lose even his own life.

All was according to his plan, except for the fact that IV found him. Nasch planned to die alone, shouldering all the hate and responsibilities. No one should know about this. The only thing that should be carved in everyone's memories was that Nasch is a despicable being that crushed every single soul in his sight, and that Yuma was their savior who brought everyone back.

That should have happened, if only IV didn't show up and found him like that. But it didn't mean that his plan failed entirely. There was still something he could do, and he's going to do it.

"Iris," he called without breaking his eye contact with IV, "After this, bring IV to the meeting place, and don't ever mention whatever happens here."

Before either Iris or IV could speak a word, Nasch activated the last of his Barian power. He went into IV's mind; erasing the memories he had from when he woke up in the opened cell until when he found Nasch there. IV slumped forward, falling onto Nasch as he lost his consciousness. There was still a little power left in Nasch, but he knew that he wouldn't last long.

"Iris," he called for the little girl again. She took his hand and stroked it gently against her cheek. If he had mouth then, he'd probably smile at her. "Iris, my dear, even when I'm gone, please find your own happiness," he whispered. She was tearing up again, and she nodded firmly in reply.

Nasch turned his head again, to IV who was still lying unconscious on him. His face was facing him, and he thought it wasn't a bad idea to do what he had always wanted to do. He shifted his head so that IV's lips were pressed against his muzzle, on the spot where his mouth was supposed to be. He felt like wanting to laugh at himself. Even his last wish for a kiss from his childhood crush couldn't be granted; not when he was a monster like that.

He then told Iris to take IV and go. She pulled IV and dragged him through a portal Nasch created for them. The portal closed as soon as they went through it, and Nasch knew that his job was done. He could hear the voice of Merag and Durbe calling out for him, telling him that he had done well.

He closed his eyes slowly, letting the darkness blanketed him, welcoming him and his friends home.


End file.
